Such a great place to take the kids or as an adult go wander through…read more Staff and volunteers were super friendly and helpful. The museum is mostly free- if you want to extra stuff (the movie or special exhibits) there is a charge. There are two buildings each 4 floors- plenty to see and do. If you want to park close the is a pay per hour parking garage

Went to Tales of Woe adult night and it was a lot of fun! I especially enjoyed looking at the…read morevariety of Halloween costumes worn by majority of the adults who attended. The staff were very much knowledgeable about the animals on exhibit. Being able to touch some wild animals was amazing. They had a live band. Also had flute performers. Definitely worth a visit and a great event where I felt safe to be at in the evening.

My children took me to this art museum as part of my Mother's Day celebration yesterday. It is…read morefree admission and they accept donations. It is a walk-in, no reservations required. There are two levels to this museum. The artwork in there is deep and thought-provoking. I believe they rotate different artists at different times. There are a few areas where you can sit if needed. What I enjoyed about this art museum besides, the art of course, is that they give not only biographical information about each artist, but they also provide an overview of that artist's style and a summary of the collection of art that is being presented for that artist. The atmosphere is serene and conducive for an art museum. Everything is spaced out nicely to give room to multiple people viewing at the same time. The building is also maintained at a good temperature.

Although the museum was small, at least admission was free. I noticed that all of the paintings on…read moredisplay were created by artists who are from North Carolina which adds a local touch to the typical art museum.

This museum is a great way to spend a day in town. Very…read moreinteresting exhibits. I would recommend this place for family and friend who come to visit Raleigh, north carolina.

Based on from what i gathered, the museum will close in October 2024 for a renovation to be…read morecompleted in 2027? Considering the 2nd floor was closed the day I went plus admission was free, this was definitely worthwhile to check out. So much history going back to the Indian tribes and the Confederecy to the Wright Brothers, albeit some of it not so pretty, but it's the truth and it needs to be remembered and not hidden. Museum row here is on the smaller side. Metered parking on the street. Will definitely be back after the renovation!

This is such a great children's museum on the heart of downtown Raleigh. We were recently in town…read morefor a wedding, and this was the one place I knew I wanted to take my son while we were there. Admission was also very affordable for the value in my opinion - $12.50pp. He's only two, but he was able to enjoy pretty much all of the areas and activities. It was a very rainy day so I think most parents had the same idea for indoor fun, but it never felt overly crowded. This museum is huge with two floors of fun. He loves any opportunity to "drive" or operate a vehicle and they have it all -- a fire truck, helicopter, convertible car, boat, submarine, and even a bank truck. And he played in every single one of them. The interactive water tables are really cute and the giant pirate ship playground is super cool (moreso for bigger kids). They also have lego/brick tables and drawing areas if your kid is more into hands-on arts & crafts. We also took break in a quiet "underwater" low sensory room and it was very peaceful and relaxing. We only had a few hours to kill, but I wish we could have stayed longer. You could easily spend the whole day playing here.

Everything about this place is amazing. Kids can play, touch and explore just about everything. The…read morefacility is clean and has tons of bathrooms and "cool down places" for kids. There is a designated eating area and a low sensory room. This place is absolutely amazing for families to spend the entire day in. Beautiful gardens outside and tons of upgrades coming at the end of 2026. Just such a fun day.

I visited for a Juneteenth event. I thought the event was organized well. I enjoy educational…read moreevents geared towards Juneteenth. I'm glad I could attend the event. The staff here for the event were welcoming and pleasant.

Such a great local museum and located right in downtown area where other cool places can be seen…read moreand visited! The museum gives a great snapshot of Raleigh's historical beginnings and significance. And it's free! But donations are welcomed. Friendly and helpful staff at the reception area. And they have a gift shop with cute merchandise

Did not enjoy my experience here. You get charged $10 at the door. However, some people in my group…read moregot charged $5 and others got charged none. Seems weird. The girl who got charged none was told to write a Google review to get in for free. The inconsistency is a bit bothersome. The bartenders were nice, but also pushed Google reviews in exchange for a stronger drink. They did not follow through with their word ... my drink was nearly just sprite and grenadine, maybe a tiny splash of vodka. It was clear these bartenders did not have much bartending experience. Wish I would've saved the $25 I spent to get in for one disappointing drink.

Great vibes every visit music on point funky lounge area in the back and food vendors rotating so…read morenever the same.

Is a beautiful museum on beautiful grounds well curated properly taken care of and the café is the…read morecherry on top of everything. The food there is amazing.

Summary: 4.0 - Free and art go hand-in-hand here. If you like both, NC MoA is worth your time…read more Free admission to the NCMA to see art and history is a gift. If one doesn't mind the West Building (although new, it felt old to me), the different galleries containing historical art pieces (new and old, and very old) organized by continents are educational and surprisingly full of variety. The East Building (original one) hosts both permanent and limited-time collections. I've enjoyed a car exhibit, but my favorite limited-time exhibit featured Academy Award winner Ruth E. Carter's costumes for the movies "Black Panther", "Selma", "Amistad", and others. Her showcase exhibit was well worth the price of admission. A huge museum park provides miles of trails and places for picnics. If one plans accordingly, a series of trails connects all the way from the museum to downtown Raleigh! MISC Opened in 1956. Has pieces that originate from about 5,000 years ago (but thankfully it doesn't take that long to go through the museum). The museum is accessibility-friendly. A museum store and café are onsite. Tours are available. Outdoor concerts are on hiatus at the time of this review for "facility improvements." Be sure to check the museum's website for updates.

Decorated for Christmas and included live music in the rotunda!…read more Impressive building and well worth a visit. Amazing architecture. Symbols of our state and our country including the portrait of George Washington are impressive.

Quite an unremarkable building. Surprisinglybdisappointing actually. Lots of construction and muddy…read moregrounds. Parking a challenge too.

I drove in from Charlotte area to attend a 'First Friday' event hosted by my daughter-in-law. Her…read moreand my Son live in New Hampshire so she came into town to for the entire month of July to paint and get prepared for the 8/1/25 event. Molly is a talented and experienced artist, primarily in oil and acrylic. They had invited about a dozen or so people from around CLT Region who came into town to see her and James since they live in NH. It was an interesting evening because it started raining hard just about 7p as the event was getting in gear. I'm sure it deterred quite a few from attending. There are two floors with other 'artist in residence' so it was a lively and diverse Friday crowd. I did make it 'upstairs' to meet Caitlin Cary, a local artist who has a studio there. Some may know here as vocalist/violin player with Ryan Adams formerly of the band Whiskeytown.

A great eclectic collection of local artists. Friendly front desk receptionist. Fun to see some…read moreartists currently working in their studios. Inspiring experience.

I had never been to the Joel Lane House Museum so the Fourth of July Celebration was the perfect…read moretime. The museum offers free parking on St. Mary's Street and more parking in front of the house on West Hargett. Admission is usually charged but was free for this event as we were not given the official tour but received $4 off coupons to return for a tour. They provided Howling Cow ice cream and free lemonade too. So who was Joel Lane? Joel Lane is considering a Founding Father of North Carolina and Raleigh. He sold 1,000 acres of land to make Raleigh the State Capital. The Joel Lane Museum House is the oldest house in Raleigh and is older than Wake County. The decision to move North Carolina's Capital to Raleigh happened in the Joel Lane House. As they say "it was the room that it happened". Joel Lane was a slave holder of 43 adults and children. They are the ones who built the house and maintained the plantation, raising the livestock, cooking and caring for the Lane family. The museum provides a way for us to see how life would have been back then from the candles to the necessary to the toys they had to how they made yarn for clothing. The herb garden provided a method for medicine. The holiday event provided an overview but I am planning to return for a tour to learn more of the history and see all of the property.

I stumbled upon this gem of a history lesson by accident while walking to downtown from our Airbnb…read more Catherine gave my son and I a great tour and history of Raleigh. I'm a history buff and she was able to keep me interested in an area of the country I know little of. Always fun to learn local history. It's free and enjoyable.